Knitting pin



Aug. 31, 1954 s. A. CARLSON 2,687,630

KNITTING PIN Filed July 11, 1951 IN V EN TOR.

AT T GENE Y5.

Patented Aug. 31, 1954 KNITTING PIN Gustav A. Carlson, Des Plaines, 111., assignor to The Boye Needle Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 11, 1951, Serial No. 236,257

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a knitting pin useful for various types of knitting.

In ordinary knitting operations, it is customary to have a knitting pin with a downwardly-sloping point, the point being employed for engaging the stitches, and the stitches are slipped alon the inclined point onto the' enlarged shank or body of the pin. Sometimes, the forward point of the pin is made slightly concave. In all of these structures, the gradual inclination of the point causes the stitches to slip readily from the point onto the shank and the knitter is often hardly aware of the location of the stitch, not knowing Whether the stitch is Still on the point or on the shank of the pin.

In many stages of knitting, it is desired to have the point of one needle cooperating with the point of another needle in forming the stitches and knitting at this stage is carried on more effectively when the stitches are of a reduced size and engage only the point portions of the needle. Because, however, of the gradual inclination of the points, it is difficult for the operator to keep the stitches on the point alone and the stitches are constantly slipping over the shank of the pin.

In a specific form of knitting, in which stitches are formed about a tubular member having projecting posts, a knitting pin is used for engaging a lower stitch and drawing it over the post. In this well-known form of knitting, the ordinary knitting pin is difficult to employ because the stitch slips along the pin when an efiort is made to slide the stitch over the post and there is no means for holding the stitch at a desired point on the pin when the stitch is looped over a post.

An object of the present invention is to provide a knitting pin which overcomes the abovedescribed disadvantages. A further object is to provide a knittin pin which may be employed with other pins for carrying on the knitting operation with the stitches, etc. being formed on projections of reduced diameter carried by such pins, while eventually drawing the completed stitches upon the main shank of the pin. A further object is to provide a knitting pin with a forwardly-extending beak portion of reduced diameter while providing a shoulder between the beak portion and the main shank of the pin. A further object is to provide in such a structure, a shoulder providing a smooth sweep formin a concave taper from the shank of the pin to the point portion of the pin. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is shown, in an illustrative embodiment, by the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a broken perspective view of a knitting pin embodying my invention shown employed with a post knitting device; and Fig. 2, a broken top plan view of the knitting pin structure.

In the illustration given, the knitting pin is provided with a shank portion ID of enlarged diameter and, at its forward end, with a beak or projecting portion I I, of reduced diameter having a rounded point I2. Similarly, the rear end portion I3 of the shank Ill may be rounded, if desired.

Connecting the beak portion II which may be of substantially uniform diameter and the enlarged shank portion IQ is a tapered shoulder providing with the beak II a concave joint thus forming a smooth sweep from the enlarged shank I0 and alon a concave taper to the beak portion II, the forward end of the beak being rounded as at I 2.

The diameter of the beak II is relatively small compared with the diameter of the shank portion H3 and may be about one-half the diameter of the shank It. The shoulder portion IA is preferably short, providing an inclination in the order of 10 to 20 from the horizontal. The relatively steep pitch of the shoulder prevents stitches from passing readily from the beak I I to the shank I, while at the same time providing a concave point of junction between the shoulder and the beak which enables the stitches to be shifted when the operator makes a conscious effort to do so. The shoulder portion I4 is further usefu1 in the operation for shifting a stitch over a post in a post knitting device.

In Fig. 1, I5 designates a tubular member provided at one end with a flange I5 to which are secured knitting posts II. The knitting posts I! may be provided with cut-out portions or notches It on their outer sides. A yarn thread I 9 is passed around the posts in a well-known manner and loops are drawn by the beak portion II over the adjacent post II. In this operation, the shoulder portion I4 is effective in holding the stitch after engagement by the beak and enabling the stitch to be readily slipped over the post. If desired, the flange or head I6 may be provided with grooves 20 for receiving the point of the needle and guiding it under the stitch, as illustrated best in Fig. 1.

While the needle i0 is effective in the post stitching operation as described above, it will be understood that it is useful also in ordinary knitting, permitting the loops to be engaged by the beaks of cooperating needles and the stitching operation to be carried on solely by the beaks of the pins. Later, after stitches have been formed in interlocking relation, they may be shifted by conscious effort of the operator from the beaks l I to the shanks 10. There is an important new result achieved in that the completed portion of the knitting when thus drawn to the enlarged shank tends to clip the shank I0 rather uniformly over its area and to remain in the post where drawn upon the shank. In ordinary stitching operation, where the stitches are passed almost immediately onto the shank, the stitches are thus expanded in the latter operation and remain loosely and sometimes irregularly formed upon the shank. By first forming a number of stitches on the extremely small beak portion and then passing the stitches thus uniformly formed of a small size up the sharply-inclined shoulder portion l4 and onto the enlarged shank H], the stretched stitches tend to clip the shank It and remain thereon at the positions to which they are moved.

While in the foregoing specification I have set forth a specific structure in considerable detail, it will be understood that such details of structure may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Iclaim:

1. A knitting pin having a shank portion of relatively large diameter terminating at its forward end in a sharply-and-downwardly-pitched joint, and a beak portion of substantially uniform 4 diameter extending beyond said joint, said joint merging with said beak portion and providing between the shank portion and the beak portion a shoulder having a forwardly-facing concave portion merging with said beak portion.

2. A knitting pin having an elongated shank portion of relatively large diameter and an elongated knitting beak portion at its forward end, said beak portion being for the most part of a substantially uniform and reduced diameter throughout and terminating in a rounded end, and a relatively sharply-inclined forwardly-facing concave shoulder portion substantially shorter than said beak portion and connecting said beak portion to said shank portion.

3. A knitting pin having an elongated shank portion and being equipped at one end with a beak portion of reduced and substantially uniform diameter, and a shoulder joining said shank portion and beak portion and being sharply inclined and forwardly facin whereby a concave joint is provided.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

